Macon residents caught their first glimpse of the newly renovated Rosa Parks Square during the annual Christmas Light Extravaganza after the green space officially reopened Nov. 28, 2025.
While final touches are still being applied to the park, the city debuted the square early with a 40-foot-tall snowman for the extravaganza.
The park, which first opened in 1978, sits between City Hall and the Macon City Auditorium and faces seven local businesses across First Street, including the Macon Arts Alliance.
“It’s really nice to see people out there enjoying the park,” said Julie Wilkerson, executive director of the Macon Arts Alliance. “It gives people a place to be.”
Wilkerson said she expects nearby businesses to benefit from the renovation, particularly during First Fridays, a monthly downtown event that brings increased foot traffic through exclusive deals and activities.
“It really is nice to see how pretty it is,” Wilkerson said. “Before, I would have told you it was a hot mess.”
Prior to renovations, Rosa Parks Square featured a tree-lined layout with memorials and uneven, hilly terrain. The $2.5 million remodel introduced picnic tables, improved lighting, a performance stage and a memorial wall.
When the plans were announced for the project in September 2024, Macon-Bibb County's Director of Planning and Public Spaces Alex Morrison said in a press release that his department "wanted to make sure this was place that could be a focal point for events, for gatherings and, critically, for protests as well, as it is emblazoned with the name of Rosa Parks.”
Longtime Macon resident Trina Floyd, who has lived in and around the city for 50 years, said the transformation reflects a broader shift in downtown culture. She attended kindergarten at St. Joseph Catholic Church, located a block from the square.
“When I was growing up, you didn’t go downtown. You never went downtown,” Floyd said. Over the past few years, however, she said she and her now 9-year-old daughter have begun visiting the area regularly.
The committee behind the project, the Friends of Rosa Parks Square Board, is considering adding public art installations to the park, Wilkerson said. While she was unsure how far along the discussions were, she confirmed the committee has reached out to the Macon Arts Alliance for potential involvement.
“We would love to help them select an artist and help guide that process,” Wilkerson said.
Floyd said she would welcome public art in the square and added that if events are hosted there in the future, she and her daughter would be interested in attending.
Nathaniel Jordan '29 intends to major in Journalism at Mercer and hopes to work as an investigative journalist. His hobbies include poetry, photography and home cooking, and you can probably find him around Macon shopping or walking through local parks with his wife and son.
